The Cottage Farm Stand & Baking Co. is continuing to find new ways to interact with the community through various events and offerings, with owner Marlene Knight saying their growth and success is thanks to support from the public and other local farmers and vendors.
Knight said in turn, The Cottage does all they can to support other local businesses.
“We’re all about being local and supporting local farms and local businesses and making everything ourselves,” she said. “We produce all our own baked goods and soups and sandwiches and so forth.”
Knight said they are “kind of diehard” Farmers’ Market vendors, appearing at nearly every market event.
“The Farmers’ Market is a really important part of our business,” she said. “It’s how people get to know us. It matches very well with our business model and what we are about. If we don’t grow it on our own farm, it’s grown from a lot of those farmers that are there.”
This year, The Cottage decided to bring something extra to the market by offering their breakfast sandwiches and burgers. Knight said that’s been received well by people who stay a while at the market and need something to snack on.
Beyond their presence at the market, The Cottage continues to add new events and experiences at their farm.
Earlier this year they hosted their inaugural Strawberry Festival, an event that drew more people than Knight ever could have expected for the first year.
Currently, The Cottage is encouraging the community to visit their sunflower fields, which are only open for about another week. There is no charge to go into the field to take photos, but it is $1 per stem for those who want to take a sunflower home.
They’re also preparing for their Pumpkin and Pickle Festival (formerly called the Sunflower and Pickle Festival) on October 1-2.
“It is going to be tons of fun,” Knight said. “We’re going to do all kinds of pickle-themed and pumpkin-themed foods. We are also partnering with Brew Bridge to do pickle beer.”
Something else new at The Cottage this year is a 5-acre corn maze — which also includes a game where people can locate 10 mailboxes containing questions in the field, with a prize at the end. The Cottage has also added a pumpkin patch this year, and it’s already up and running.
The Cottage (located at 6869 Highway 56 in Sorgho) opens daily at 6:30 a.m., with closing times varying depending on the season. The establishment includes a bakery, coffee shop, and restaurant. They also sell grab-and-go meals.
As they continue to explore new ventures, Knight said the community support has consistently been good. She said it’s a reflection of how much people value the local farming community as a whole.
“I think people in this community appreciate what our county has to offer. Obviously agribusiness is a huge part of this community,” she said. “I find that because we’re very family oriented here (at The Cottage), the response to our festivals and our events outside has been very well received, and we’re excited about that.”
